From: Morgan Hannaford Date: Tue, 2 Jan 1996 13:14:33 -0800 (PST) Subject: Suds Triangle Trophy 2 It sounds like there were 2 gonzo adventures this weekend. Some of us from northern California met to drive the dreaded Sherwood Rd. that runs from Willits on Hwy 101 to Ft. Bragg on Hwy 1. This is a county unmaintained dirt road. I can't quite recall all the fun but generally the message I posted inviting folks with the warning attached was very appropriate. 40 or so miles of mud road that got worse and worse. Attendees: Stephanie Changaris and Bruce Bonar (D90 - Spot) Vance Chin (109 V8) Jim Russell (88) Eric Mckay (109) Marc ? (109) Morgan Hannaford (88) I must account for a 7th machine, without which we would not have made it: The chainsaw. * We met on Saturday in Willits and left around noonish. * Trees began littering the road and the chainsaw started working. * Several sections had so many trees that we had to take logging road bypasses. The winching began. * Many trees were so big that we had to use my 88 to pull them out of the way. * We camped at one large tree that blocked the road after Vance and I got seriously stuck taking a bypass. Night recovery with the winch ensued. * Everyone else made it throught the bypass after they found the proper way (i.e., not the way I went) * The mud got way worse as we trudged on.....at the end there was a crazy downhill section that I got most of the way down before I found a huge stump blocking the road. Unfortunately Jim followed me down before I realized there was a bypass at the top. For all the trip down this was like a slippery-slope. * Bruce winched me up backwards, then we both winched Jim up backwards (dual winching! my winch motor was smoking!) then I winched Eric Mckay down the hill. * We finally emerged from Sherwood Rd. into Ft. Bragg at about 6 or 7 pm and headed straight for the Brewery. The only damage was to three left front fenders: Vance's parking brake failed (again) and he rolled into my spare tire (crunch); Eric Mckay bumped a stump with his bumper and the over-rider pushed in the front fender; and I whacked a thick branch for a small dent in the front (those light grills work well). This was one of the most gonzo trip I've done yet. Lots of teamwork was required to get us all through, usually taking hours to get my vehicle through (yeah, you try it first Morgan - this trip was your big idea!) then everyone else cruised through, usually taking the path that I didn't. When we got to the North Coast Brewery in Ft. Bragg the waiter asked where we came from (we were all covered in mud). When we told him he said "were you in a huge truck, I've heard that Sherwood Rd. is impassable in the winter?". "Nope, we were in a bunch of old Land-Rovers, and tell your friends that Sherwood Rd. is now open". Later- Mo ============================================================================= Date: Wed, 3 Jan 1996 11:33:27 -0800 (PST) From: Morgan Hannaford To: mendo_recce@owens.ridgecrest.ca.us Subject: Re: Suds II; and then some Great co-commentary Steph. Being so exhausted from the days before the weekend, Suds II was just a blur of fun. I suppose that sport you speak of might be called synchronized swimming, if water was involved. I think we now have a campsite competitor for our beloved vapour locke solution: Single Malt Scotch. I started the weekend with a full (i.e., new) bottle of The Glenlivet and a full flask of Laphroaig. I didn't realize our little club was full of single malt fans, we emptied both by the new year. Again, this weekend showed that all of those folks obsessed with short wheelbase vs. long wheelbase vehicles and mud tires vs. AT tread have misplaced concerns. Jim Russell's "little 88 that could" pulled out of the area, under it's own power, that I and Vance got stuck. Marc's 109, with AT tread and trusty old 2.25L Rover mill (this truck used to belong to Dom Dias) had no problems at all, and only had to be winched once where the only limitation was turning; the SWB rigs could maintain good momentum around a sharp turn to get up a steep hill. Eric McKay suffered only from a front drum that kept locking up, and higher diff ratios (3.54 diffs) that kept him from being able to creep down steep slopes under engine braking (so we winched him down, no biggie). Eric took a little offense at my observation on his diff set up, but it wasn't intended to criticise.....just that a balance has to be had with any modification. Eric had a nice Koenig PTO winch that really came in handy, the diffs work as his overdrive for out in the desert where he drives most. So, to all.....shut up about tires, vehicle length and off-road accouterments and go learn to drive :^) Ciao, Mo